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India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
'Feels like home': Interview video of Indian 'spy' in Pak alerted agencies
Kasim (marked in red circle), the man arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan's ISI, is seen in a YouTube video posted by a Pakistani media outlet. (Screengrab) Kasim arrested from Rajasthan for spying for Pakistan Radicalised several individuals in India Kasim's brother Asim also arrested for espionage activities The man arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly spying for Pakistan visited the country twice in a year to receive training from his ISI handlers, officials told India Today. That Kasim, a resident of Rajasthan, visited Pakistan was confirmed after he was seen in a YouTube video speaking to a Pakistani media outlet. Kasim was arrested in the Deeg area of Mewat in Rajasthan on Thursday. The video, posted by the YouTube channel 'Rehbar-e-Mewat', shows Kasim telling the news anchor that it "felt like home" in Pakistan. "Mr Kasim, welcome to Pakistan once again. How does it feel to be back in Pakistan?" the anchor is heard asking him. To this, Kasim replies, "It feels like home. I get so much love and affection here that it brings me back so soon. I am back here in less than three months due to your people's love and affection". According to officials, Kasim visited Pakistan for the first time in August 2024 and again in March 2025, staying for about 90 days in total. During these visits, he received espionage training from his ISI handlers and senior operatives. Investigations revealed that Kasim was sending Indian SIM cards to Pakistan, which were then used by Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) to contact Indians via WhatsApp for gathering sensitive military and government-related information. Kasim is also alleged to have radicalised several individuals in India and authorities believe he has a wider network, with further arrests expected soon. KASIM'S BROTHER HELD FOR ESPIONAGE Kasim's brother Asim has also been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly spying for Pakistan's ISI, sources told India Today. He had been on Indian intelligence agencies' radar for some time due to his suspicious cross-border connections. His name came up during the questioning of Kasim. As per sources, Asim made repeated visits to Pakistan under the pretext of meeting relatives, during which he allegedly came in contact with ISI agents. These interactions during his visits to Pakistan are now part of a broader probe, sources said. During interrogation, Kasim told the police that after reaching Pakistan for the first time, he was informed by his handlers that his brother was already working for them. Kasim came into the picture after Asim's visa expired. It was then that Kasim was allegedly asked to continue the link and facilitate further communication. Sources said that Asim would be taken to Gurugram and Barmer for further investigation. Hearing the matter on Saturday, a Delhi court asked the Delhi Police if this could be a case of cyber fraud rather than espionage. Police said there have been multiple instances where Indian numbers were used in Pakistan to honey-trap officials. The SIM cards, obtained from Central Delhi's Anand Parbat area, were issued in Asim's name and were taken to Pakistan by Kasim, they added. Meanwhile, sections under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) are likely to be invoked against Kasim at a later stage, according to sources. The man arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly spying for Pakistan visited the country twice in a year to receive training from his ISI handlers, officials told India Today. That Kasim, a resident of Rajasthan, visited Pakistan was confirmed after he was seen in a YouTube video speaking to a Pakistani media outlet. Kasim was arrested in the Deeg area of Mewat in Rajasthan on Thursday. The video, posted by the YouTube channel 'Rehbar-e-Mewat', shows Kasim telling the news anchor that it "felt like home" in Pakistan. "Mr Kasim, welcome to Pakistan once again. How does it feel to be back in Pakistan?" the anchor is heard asking him. To this, Kasim replies, "It feels like home. I get so much love and affection here that it brings me back so soon. I am back here in less than three months due to your people's love and affection". According to officials, Kasim visited Pakistan for the first time in August 2024 and again in March 2025, staying for about 90 days in total. During these visits, he received espionage training from his ISI handlers and senior operatives. Investigations revealed that Kasim was sending Indian SIM cards to Pakistan, which were then used by Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) to contact Indians via WhatsApp for gathering sensitive military and government-related information. Kasim is also alleged to have radicalised several individuals in India and authorities believe he has a wider network, with further arrests expected soon. KASIM'S BROTHER HELD FOR ESPIONAGE Kasim's brother Asim has also been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly spying for Pakistan's ISI, sources told India Today. He had been on Indian intelligence agencies' radar for some time due to his suspicious cross-border connections. His name came up during the questioning of Kasim. As per sources, Asim made repeated visits to Pakistan under the pretext of meeting relatives, during which he allegedly came in contact with ISI agents. These interactions during his visits to Pakistan are now part of a broader probe, sources said. During interrogation, Kasim told the police that after reaching Pakistan for the first time, he was informed by his handlers that his brother was already working for them. Kasim came into the picture after Asim's visa expired. It was then that Kasim was allegedly asked to continue the link and facilitate further communication. Sources said that Asim would be taken to Gurugram and Barmer for further investigation. Hearing the matter on Saturday, a Delhi court asked the Delhi Police if this could be a case of cyber fraud rather than espionage. Police said there have been multiple instances where Indian numbers were used in Pakistan to honey-trap officials. The SIM cards, obtained from Central Delhi's Anand Parbat area, were issued in Asim's name and were taken to Pakistan by Kasim, they added. Meanwhile, sections under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) are likely to be invoked against Kasim at a later stage, according to sources. Join our WhatsApp Channel
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Revisiting Aranyer Din Ratri: Even after 55 years, this Satyajit Ray film remains a timeless study of privilege
It took the help of the Satyajit Ray fanboy in Wes Anderson, plus the persistence of filmmaker Martin Scorsese, the team of The Film Foundation and the efforts of Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and the Film Heritage Foundation to restore Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest). It is an important moment for the history of Indian Cinema. The crucial act of preservation of the film makes for a beautiful opportunity to revisit it once more. A great film endures- over time, place and generations- and opens up new avenues of thought and interrogation. Aranyer Din Ratri, which first released in 1970, is one such film. Even 55 years later, it remains as pointed in its critique of unchecked privilege and bourgeois moralities as ever. (Also read: Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal attend Aranyer Din Ratri Cannes screening, hang out with Satyajit Ray fanboy Wes Anderson) Aranyer Din Ratri opens up like a magic trick. You expect the film to be about something else, and it slowly turns into an entirely different film by the end. The shift occurs with such calculated yet seemingly effortless precision that the viewer is left slightly shaken, slightly pushed from the ground beneath their feet. Ray's masterful mis-en-scene allows the viewer in the opening minutes to form a joyful association with the film's premise. Four friends are on their way to a vacation at Palamau, in Bihar. The first half of the film is all about their boyish ambivalence and willful ignorance; they are here to take a few days off from the stress of their daily urban chores and relax. They break rules, stay at the forest guest house without permission, and drink up till late in the night. A post shared by Film Heritage Foundation (@filmheritagefoundation) The shift occurs when these four men chance upon the two ladies who stay at a nearby bungalow. After a brief introduction, the four men are invited to have breakfast the next day and they form a casual bond with one another- which Ray observes with the eye of a strategic chess master. It is Asim (played by the great Soumitra Chatterjee), who vies for the attention of Aparna (Sharmila Tagore, in a performance of unmatched radiance); which picks up the momentum of the film. It does not help that Aparna catches Asim creating a scene one night when he is totally drunk, or sees him taking a bath outside the guest house in just his boxers. Asim is flummoxed; he cannot understand what he must do to win her over. Aparna crushes his pride with great tactility, and gently exposes the callousness with which he inhabits the world. Ray's direction is masterful in these scenes, as he connects the dots in which Asim and his bunch of friends choose to acknowledge their hollow sense of manly privilege and morality. If the first half feels like an incoming buddy comedy, the second half takes on the propulsive intrigue of a psychological drama. Ray shifts the viewer's attention from a sense of wonder to that of gentle reflection. Suddenly, these men become a little too discomfiting in their relativity. Their goodness hides a classist point of view willfully seeking beauty amid the pain and distress that is caused by their actions. Aranyer Din Ratri is revelatory in its dissection of identity politics, in showing how the veneer of conservatism transpires behind progressive ideals, and leads on to hypocritical standards of society. It seems like a simple film, but hides a profound secret of human nature beneath the surface. Ray reveals layers within each of these characters, throws them off the hook and sees how they respond to it. The forest becomes the great leveler, stripping the sophistication of these men to make room for some self-interrogation. What will happen when they go back? (Interestingly, Goutam Ghose made a sequel to Aranyer Din Ratri in Abar Aranye, which is also a great follow-up in this case) Still, Aranyer Din Ratri is not just a story of four men, it points at a larger and much more universal masculinity that is embedded in the socio-cultural fabric. Gorgeously shot and filled with superb performances from the ensemble cast, Aranyer Din Ratri is a deeply intelligent film that remains one of the very best works of Satyajit Ray. The questions it raises are timeless.
Business Recorder
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistani brands at Dubai Baby Expo set sight on expansion
DUBAI: Pakistani baby products manufacturers hoped they could wiggle their way into the hearts of mums and babies at the Baby Expo in Dubai. 'We are here to see consumer reaction to our products, some of which are sustainable textiles and reusable products,' Muhammad Safeer, director, Rehbar Majeed Textiles (Pvt.) Ltd told Business Recorder. 'We want to see whether we have a market over here.' The Faisalabad-based company was debuting its sustainable, organic products - sleep suits, swaddles, towel, bathrobes - at the second edition of the expo, which is the Middle East's largest maternity, baby, and toddler event, and was held on May 16 and 17. 'Natural fit': Pakistan's fashion industry makes presence felt in Dubai According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023–24, manufacturing activity recovered somewhat in 2024, but the textile sector recorded negative growth by 8.3 per cent. The report says that rising input costs, a struggling textile sector, lower government spending, high inflation, and elevated policy rates compounded the issue. Presence at events such as the Baby Expo could be key to unlocking expansion. Safeer said the event gave Rehbar insight into customers' preferences. 'Reusable products currently in the market here are not very suitable,' he said, adding that reusable products such as diapers and wipes, are more popular in larger markets, such as the US and Europe. He also learnt the importance of display at such big events. 'I have learned about the display because they have better experience for the Gulf market. I see that there are differences in the display. This market requires a more appealing display with vinyls and stickers, etc.' Another Faisalabad based company that was at the show was Jaguar Middle - East FZC. It was represented by Dubai-based Pakistani business owner, Muhammad Usama Asim. 'It was important for Jaguar to come here to evolve in the new industry that is up and coming ? e-commerce and online ? and to get in touch with new target customers,' he said. The business, which has a manufacturing facility in Faisalabad, has pivoted to work efficiently with smaller clients who require 50 or 100 pieces, said Asim. The business currently has clients in the US and UK and is open to working with new e-commerce clients, not only as a producer but also as industry mentors. 'Everyone wants to launch their own brands and we're here to guide them and to let them know how it's done,' said Asim. Jaguar, which is affiliated with National Hosiery, a well-known brand in Pakistan, makes clothes from sustainable organic cottons, organic blends and bamboo blends for kids born prematurely to those 48 months and older. The brand, said Asim, has evolved as the parents' needs have changed over time. The Baby Expo featured over 250 global brands from the maternity, baby and toddler space and introduced the NextGen: Industry Leaders Summit in which professionals provided insights into emerging trends, market shifts, competitive strategies, and future opportunities in the baby and parenting industry. According to an event press release, the baby market is set to reach $217 billion by 2030, with Dubai's retail sector already having grown by 2.9 per cent to AED 83.12 billion in 2024, creating major opportunities for brands to lead through product innovation and digital advancements. Expo visitors learned about new sustainable product lines, baby accessories, toys, clothes, and cooking tips for nutritious and healthy meals. Panel talks featured industry leaders who shared new research in child development and tips on maternal care and parenting practices. The event was not just about selling products. It also highlighted issues around mental health. Maitha Al Mazroei co-found the Emirati baby clothing brand Sashi, which, similar to Jaguar, uses premium bamboo material. As a mother herself, she wanted to use the brand to spread the message about a new mother's mental health. 'A lot of women, especially new mothers, experience postpartum depression and they don't realize its effects,' said Al Mazroei. 'It's important to differentiate postpartum depression from baby blues,' said Rama Kanj, educational psychologist at The Valens Clinic, who also had a presence at the expo. 'Baby blues is when a mum is feeling low mood, some tiredness, and some low motivation the first few days after giving birth. 'However, postpartum depression generally lasts longer,' she added. 'Its impact is larger on the mother's mental health.' The main concern, said Kanj, is that the mother may not feel a connection with the newborn, the lack of which could hinder the early days or weeks of the development of an emotional bond between the child and the mother. 'Postpartum depression, unfortunately, is still not talked about because birth is supposed to be a happy time,' she said. 'And we don't really understand fully why a mother who just gave birth may be choosing to isolate herself, feel withdrawn, and not want to participate in the celebrations or the visits that people are doing.' In her efforts to raise awareness around the issue, Kanj wants mental health frontliners, such as gynaecologists, to identify symptoms and signs of postpartum depression so that they can make appropriate referrals. But part of the responsibility also falls on those around the mother, she added. 'We know that being well-surrounded socially helps a lot in boosting the mood, helping the mum know that she's not alone, letting her have a safe space to share her feelings and thoughts so that she feels heard.' She said it also helps if the responsibilities of the new mum are shared by others around her. As Kanj works with new parents, she focuses on empowering their parenting journey. Her advice to new parents: 'Don't strive for perfection, [parenting] is a work in progress. Listen to your child. Children communicate through various ways, not only through words but through behaviours as well. And trust your instincts.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
After Roadies and Battleground, Ashika Surve to be seen in Splitsvilla X6?
Ashika Surve , a contestant on the reality show Battleground, garnered immense praise for her performance on the show. After participating in Roadies: Karm Ya Kaand, many questioned Ashika whether she would make it to the top in Battleground and she proved it by reaching the finale. The winners of the reality show were Rounak Gulia and Nisha Mishra . Now, the scoop is that Ashika has been approached for the upcoming season of Splitsvilla. This is no secret, contestants from Roadies are often seen on the show in the next season. Talking about her stint in both shows, her journey has been remarkable. If sources are to be believed, Ashika will be seen with Roadies Karm Ya Kaand winner Vashu Jain in Splitsvilla X6 . However, there have been no comments on this by the contestants. Ashika's journey with reality shows began with participating in Roadies: Karm Ya Kaand, season 19, where she was part of Gang Prince, led by Prince Narula. After the stint, she then joined Battleground as a contestant with Rajat Dalal's team, Haryana Bulls. Where Ashika demonstrated physical, strategic, and emotional skills, emerging as one of the tough female contestants. Ashika also entered the finals, however, she couldn't lift the trophy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Battleground has made news since its inception as an online show. From team leaders battling to candidates competing, the show delivered unexpected circumstances that kept viewers interested. The show attracted viewers' attention when Asim Riaz , a former gang leader who led UP Dabangg, was allegedly expelled from Battleground. Asim questioned Rubina Dilaik 's performance on Battleground, a fitness reality show. He considered Rubina was unsuitable for the role. Following the incident, Shikhar Dhawan demanded that Asim apologise to Rubina. As a result, Asim was allegedly instructed to quit Battleground. However, Asim said that he walked out of the show.
Economic Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
On rent-seeking, while seeking a rental
'Finally,' said Asim, 'I had no choice. I could no longer live with dignity in Pakistan. So, I left.' My interlocutor, a calm, wiry man in his 40s, had emigrated to the US when his brother agreed to sponsor his green card. Starting off in California, the erstwhile bank manager relocated to Houston, procuring a car rental franchise. It was the South Asian smile of welcome that made me join the queue that led to his counter. After formalities were completed, he escorted me to my vehicle, the unkempt appearance of which made him request an employee to have it washed again. 'If you'd like me to assign you another car...' he began. 'Not at all,' I assured him, 'I can wait for a few minutes.' 'In that case,' he responded in Hindustani, 'I shall be glad to enjoy your company.' And so began a conversation that traversed, in defiance of the border war, the length of our disparate journeys and the breadth of common regrets. 'Many Indians would echo that sentiment,' I said, when he explained why he had chosen to leave Pakistan. 'Corruption is as much the bane of existence in India as it is elsewhere.' 'Yes,' he admitted, 'But in different ways. In India, corruption is widespread, but a matter of choice. Pakistan is less tolerant of personal preference.' In Pakistan, he explained, there were, relative to India, far greater numbers below, and above, the poverty line that suffered every form of privation, including mercilessly rationed access to the most basic public utilities, when these were not made more painfully conspicuous by their absence. And yet, he continued, there was, proportionately, far less petty crime than in India. This was not from fear of punishment, or force of scruple. Rather, it was because corruption had reached such economic significance that it had become the exclusive preserve of an elite, for whom any broad-based financial inclusion and resource-sharing would mean self-deprivation. 'You can't even steal rotting food,' he concluded, 'unless you have been permitted to do so by the army, politicians, police, or judiciary. And even then, you will need to pay for it.' If this was true, people were certainly better off in India, where corruption is, at least, as inclusive as it was pervasive. Thus, while many personal and dynastic fortunes had been made through questionable means during both command and liberalised economy eras, storied captains of industry and driven entrepreneurs - to say nothing of the three pillars of government - continue to show a profligate magnanimity to the less fortunate in matters as diverse as business, public administration, and the elections. Burgeoning corruption in India, I reasoned, lubricates India's development objectives, which are open to all but the most stubborn and sanctimonious. So, when qualified resources quit India for fairer climes, they do so from a wilful and unreasonable unwillingness to conform. By comparison, Pakistanis enjoyed no such privilege. I had just begun to nod with a sense of gratitude when another renter, of older American lineage, walked by. He was looking at his device and uttering copulatory epithets of a maternal nature. Asim hurried over. 'May I be of assistance?' The suggestion was dismissed with a smile. 'Not unless you can help us to deal with this...' he continued, referring to the premier of the land by way of anal synecdoche - because that worthy's latest misdemeanour had been to move his office, and the attorney-general's, to accept a luxury aeroplane from Qatar as a gift on his behalf. Here, then, was the third degree of corruption, neither exclusive nor inclusive. Only shamelessly brazen and uselessly accretive. But the rest of America, residents and visitors alike, can still enjoy - two billboards reminded me as I exited the airport - entry to a gentleman's club for $10, and 15 minutes with a machine gun at a shooting range for $30.
